Mobile wireless communications devices have become pervasive in today's society, and are carried daily by a large number of individuals. Part of the reason for their popularity is that such mobile wireless communications devices are now capable of more than simple voice communications. Indeed, some mobile wireless communications devices are now capable of acting as a personal digital assistant, performing functions such as keeping a calendar of daily appointments and maintaining a large address book. In addition, some mobile wireless communications devices have connectivity with the Internet via their cellular connection, and are thus capable of e-mail delivery and web browsing.
In addition to carrying a mobile wireless communications device, many individuals also carry a wallet containing numerous cards, such as driver's licenses, credit cards, bank cards, discount cards, rewards cards, and membership cards. This wide variety of cards can lead to a wallet being undesirably thick, taking up more space than desired in a pocket or a purse. One way in which to reduce this burden is to design mobile wireless communications devices that can carry the information contained in such cards (such as account access information), and payment processing systems that can access the information in those mobile wireless communications devices in order to process transactions.
While such mobile wireless communications devices have been successful at reducing the number of cards an individual carries, existing payment processing systems often utilize a point of sale device or transaction terminal with that has connectivity with a payment processing server or clearing house. This leaves a need for new payment processing systems that can operate when the point of sale device or transaction terminal does not have connectivity with the payment processing server or clearing house.